Jack Welch was the CEO of General Electric (GE) from 1981 – 2001, when the company expanded significantly, its worth grew multifold, he was named -Manager of the Century by the Fortune magazine. The company saw increased market value from around $14 billion to $410 billion odd under his stewardship. This essay tries to highlight the importance of his leadership skills and his business decisions that shaped the course for the company. He has been an icon for future managers, he died in 2020.

1. International Journal of Engineering and Management Research e-ISSN: 2250-0758 | p-ISSN: 2394-6962
Volume-10, Issue-5 (October 2020)
www.ijemr.net https://doi.org/10.31033/ijemr.10.5.4
17 This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
A Tribute to Jack Welch: Manager of the Century
Mohd Ossama
Management Teacher, Lucknow, INDIA
Corresponding Author: mohd.ossama@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Jack Welch was the CEO of General
Electric (GE) from 1981 – 2001, when the company expanded
significantly, its worth grew multifold, he was named -
Manager of the Century by the Fortune magazine. The
company saw increased market value from around $14 billion
to $410 billion odd under his stewardship. This essay tries to
highlight the importance of his leadership skills and his
business decisions that shaped the course for the company. He
has been an icon for future managers, he died in 2020.
Keywords-- Jack Welch, GE, Leadership, Six Sigma
I. INTRODUCTION
Management is an art, and leadership takes it the
new level, hence a company leadership can redefine the
industry and business landscape. Jack Welch was a noted
manager, his efforts and steps were highly motivating. An
efficient manager shapes the outcomes with vision and
policy. GE was a beacon of opportunity and prosperity
when he left office. His writings also tell about his
leadership skills and management expertise.
https://www.tamuc.edu/ describes Jack Welch in
Chickfil Leader cast as: Jack Welch is the author of
Winning, a #1 Wall Street Journal and international
bestseller. In 2001, he wrote his #1 New York Times and
also international bestselling autobiography, Jack: Straight
from the Gut. Since 2005, Jack and his wife Suzy Welch
have written business columns for several publications,
including Business Week magazine, Thomson Reuters
digital platforms, Fortune magazine, and the New York
Times syndicate. The Welches have also launched the Jack
Welch Management Institute at Strayer University; a
unique online MBA and certificate program aimed at giving
students around the world and at every career level the
tools to transform their lives and the organizations of the
future. Jack is the head of Jack Welch, LLC, where he
serves as Senior Advisor with the private equity firm
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and is an advisor to IAC
(Interactive Corp). He speaks to business audiences and
students around the world. Born in Salem, Massachusetts,
Jack received his undergraduate degree from the University
of Massachusetts and an MS and PhD in chemical
engineering from the University of Illinois. He began his
career with the General Electric Company in 1960, and in
1981 became the Company’s 8th Chairman & CEO. During
his 20+ year tenure as CEO, the company’s market
capitalization rose from $13 billion to $400 billion. In
2000, he was named “Manager of the Century” by Fortune
magazine

2. International Journal of Engineering and Management Research e-ISSN: 2250-0758 | p-ISSN: 2394-6962
Volume-10, Issue-5 (October 2020)
www.ijemr.net https://doi.org/10.31033/ijemr.10.5.4
18 This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
CEO is a key post for corporate governance and
operations, he/she is an overall leader and key torch bearer
of the conglomerate, a CEO envisages plans and direction
to the whole company .CEO gives key vision and practical
shape to the company objectives. Jack Welch was an
outstanding CEO. Jack Welch inspired many to dream big,
he was principled and focused for growth; the
www.cnbc.com says …“Jack Welch is a celebrated,
legendary CEO. In his two decades at the helm of General
Electric, he grew revenues to $130 billion from $25 billion
and profit to $15 billion from $1.5 billion. Market
capitalization ballooned to $400 billion, growing by a
multiple of 30.”
Performance appraisal is the key for successful
governance of firms and enterprise; employees are the
cornerstone of the profit earned and service rendered.
Hence successful appraisal gives us clear line of direction
and vision to the company. www.cnbc.com (Marty
Steinberg) wrote that:”He invented the “vitality curve,” in
which managers were ranked into three groups. The top
20% “A” group was “filled with passion, committed to
making things happen.” The “vital” 70% “B” group was
essential to the company and encouraged to join the A’s.
Then there was the bottom 10% “C” group. ”
Productivity and qualitative improvement gives
high sales volume and better product outcome. Some
measures to enforce quality and efficiency are necessary to
drive growth and rise of an
enterprise.www.investopedia.com says, “In adopting
Motorola’s Six Sigma program for increasing productivity
in manufacturing industries and other management
changes, Welch illustrated that the key to excelling in an
industry relied on the value of the people working for that
company, but he had little patience with lackluster
performance.”
Leadership inspires change and progress, GE grew
exponentially under Jack Welch, he wrote some of the
leadership principles and rules in his classic 2009
book Winning . As per - Winning some of them are as
following as published in www.inc.com/ are:
1. Leaders relentlessly upgrade their team, using
every encounter as an opportunity to evaluate,
coach, and build self-confidence.
2. Leaders make sure people not only see the vision,
but they also live and breathe it.
3. Leaders get into everyone's skin, exuding positive
energy and optimism.
4. Leaders establish trust with candor, transparency,
and credit.
5. Leaders have the courage to make unpopular
decisions and gut calls.
6. Leaders probe and push with a curiosity that
borders on skepticism, making sure their questions
are answered with action.
7. Leaders inspire risk taking and learning by setting
the example.
8. Leaders celebrate.
REFERENCES
[1] www.tamuc.edu
[2] www.cnbc.com
[3] www.investopedia.com
[4] www.inc.com/
[5] https://hbr.org/